2. Shuffle the Aces stack thoroughly while asking, “What do I most need to be aware of today?” Draw one card. if a card is reversed, turn it upright for all steps. The Ace indicates an area of focus, general atmosphere or the overall energy at play. (Note: if your suit characteristics differ from those below, then use whatever works.)

• Cups signifies emotional energy. It indicates love, relationships, nurturing, imagination and fantasy. It can also point to nostalgia, grief, sadness and lethargy.

• Swords signifies mental energy. It indicates beliefs, choices and decisions, research, planning and intellectual endeavors. It can also be about disputes, struggles, and issues around honesty or dishonesty.

• Pentacles (or Coins) signifies physical, sensate energy. It indicates work, skills, money, body, security, results and the care or valuing of physical resources. It can also indicate being stuck, inflexible, stubborn or stressed and worried.

Try to feel this energy inside and around you. Is it fiery, fluid, airy or earthy? Where and how is this energy manifesting in your life right now? Later you’ll want to consider how the other cards you’ve drawn function in this kind of atmosphere.

3. Shuffle the 16 Court Cards while asking, “What do I most need to be aware of today?” Draw one card. This is the part of yourself that is most active and of which you need to be most aware. How are you Kingly, Queenly, Knightly or like a Page? It can show your level of knowledge, experience and command (King and Queen) in this area or how open you are to learning (Page) or able to take action (Knight).

Describe this card in as much detail as you can, including the physical image on the card and the characteristics of the figure: its attitude, mood and emotions, and what it wants or needs. How and where are you acting like this figure? Occasionally this card can express someone else in your life. How do you expect them to handle or influence the situation rather than you? Are you giving your own power away and, if so, how can you own it? Or is it as it should be?

4. Shuffle the 36 Minor Arcana number cards (2-10 in each suit) while asking, “What do I most need to be aware of today?” Draw one card. This is the situation that the part of yourself (Court Card above) is concerned with today.

If a scene is depicted on this card, then describe the scene. What situation has similar characteristics? If there are only suit markers on your deck, look up the meaning and consider how it applies.* What does the Court Card figure bring to this situation? What does it tell you about your relationship to these circumstances?

5. Shuffle the 22 Major Arcana cards while asking, “What do I most need to be aware of today?” Draw one card. This shows why you need to be aware.

The Major Arcana card may represent a goal or desired outcome, a lesson to be learned, something to be mastered—how you can ‘triumph’ in the situation—or what is at risk or to be gained.

What is the first thing that strikes you as you look at this card? Describe the picture in as much detail as possible. How does this card ‘trump’ the situation? Look up the standard keywords and meanings in a book. Explore the individual symbols in a symbol dictionary. Try all of the above possibilities until something clicks.

6. Overview and integration: You’ve drawn three cards out of the Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles (or Coins) suits. Which suits did you get? Does one suit dominate? Do the suit energies harmonize or do they seem to conflict? Are the energies more active and impatient (Wands and Swords)? Or, receptive and patient (Cups and Pentacles)? Is just one suit missing? If so, which one? Is that okay, or is something important missing in the situation? (Usually you don’t need to be as aware of a missing suit as much as you need to be aware of the suits that turned up!)

7. As a daily spread: Write down the cards you’ve drawn and your insights. Do this daily for at least two weeks, then look back over your spreads and write down what you’ve learned. Continue if you so desire. Over time, note especially what cards and suits appear most often and which never appear at all. Does a situation continue to develop in subsequent spreads? How? How do you respond to changing circumstances by bringing forth different parts of yourself ?

If you’d like, please give a sample interpretation, in the comments section, of the cards shown above.

*Note: Yes, looking up card meanings is perfectly fine, whether you are a beginner or experienced reader. You are learning to expand your repertoire of meanings. But don’t forget to really look at a card and say what it seems like to you.

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Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me HERE.

24 comments

Possible Interpretation of above spread:
Queen of Pentacles/Eight of Swords/The Magician/ crowned by The Ace of Cups

Something may seem like it’s blocking you from bringing forth a creative or marketable idea. However, if you approach the situation from a more heart center, open state, you could be delighted with the overflowing joy of the outcome.
Try seeing the situation in a new or different way. You’ll be glad you did.

OR:
If relationship spread, first see how you relate to yourself. Do you find you have repeat patterns of thoughts that bind you? That will show up in Relationships also. Find what you’re grateful for and watch the doors that flood open.

Kaira –
I like your interpretations—blocked creativity speaks directly to the Queen of Pentacles and 8 of Swords with the Magician. I would suggest that love is already present – the Ace of Cups is already at play – as in ‘follow your bliss.’ Perhaps the imagination centered on something the Queen wants to nourish. The Queen of Pentacles part of this person just can’t seem to get through all those swords. As you said, the “repeat patterns of thoughts that bind you” to the actual work of the Magician.
Thank you so much for contributing.
Mary

Thank you so much for this wonderful post! I’m going to do this for the next few weeks for sure. I’m a newbie with the Tarot but really loving it. For this spread I got the Ace of Swords, Queen of Swords, Seven of Swords and The Devil. Ok, ok! Point taken. Lol Love how insightful the spread is. Thanks again.

Hi! I have doing the spread for the past 18 days and I feel confused understanding the connection between the Ace’s and the rest of the cards. Individually the cards I am able to interpret but the wholesome picture seems difficult to put together. Am using the Rider deck; today’s reading- Ace of Swords, Knight of Swords, nine of wands and the Death card. I feel the cards indicate mental stress, yet I feel the wands bring in the intuition and creative energy for the day, all the cards are looking towards the left except for death. Hence , a new learning within, where my Ego has to bend and accept the reality! Look forward to your comments Mary. Thanks:)

Am enjoying the Carl Jung’s webinar recording, and would soon reach out to you through the schoology platform.

Vandna –
The Ace of Swords could refer to your trying to figure things out—looking at the pros and cons of possible meanings for this spread, for instance. I agree it is a rather stressful set of cards. With the 9 of Wands you might be feeling weary but unwilling to give up and the Knight of Swords seems to keep attacking the problem. If not the spread itself then something else in your life. I think your summary is right on.

Mary, I am in agreement with you, ’tis a great spread for anyone. Pardon me for bypassing your request to provide a sample interpretation of your arrangement of cards; I am simply too intrigued with my own 4 card arrangement at this point. Let us see if one is able to meet you half way…

To broaden my understanding of the spread, at my disposal is your book titled The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals published in 2006! My one amendment to your method consists of not putting the deck of cards into four separate stacks but instead simply uncovering one card at a time from the one deck until reaching the kind in question.

Here’s a brief interpretation of my spread:

Ace of Pentacles – Queen of Swords – Three of Swords – The Devil

For me the ace is about focusing on physical well-being. The Queen which suits my intellectual nature and inclination to develop along the lines of communication is encouraging me to ‘pierce through to the heart of the matter’, which is affirmed in the following card, the Three of Swords. The card in the third position is what my inner spinster is concerned with; how may I integrate more heart into my life. The devil reveals why Jason needs to be aware. It suggests that if he fails to recognize that which is stifling his well-being, he may remain bounded in the carnal chains of worldly existence. In light of all the cards put together as one, it may suggest the need to be less worried about things…

I just sign up to your blog.Thank you.
As of swords, Queen of swords, 6 of pentacles, The Hanging Man.
Any interpretation for this spread?
I think the cards indicate a mental stress about giving and receiving?

Hi Mary, thank you for sharing the wonderful technique of getting acquainted with the deck. This is a very usual spread, I use it as my daily reading routine now. Before adopting your approach, mine is to draw a card daily, but I find there are some cards I have no chance to encounter with and the meaning I learn is fragment. Your method gives me the opportunity to get to know the cards better and helps me to organise the overall meaning and to interpret the story behind.